Since online dating is no longer new for some people while some people are yet to know what online dating is and of course, there are lots of dating apps – presently, finding love online has become easier.
However, like other apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and other online services, dating apps is now the top prey for scammers who deceives and lure people using a different medium.
For online dating scams, scammers will use a different medium to lure you to fall into their prey – using another person’s photo and identity, sometimes it could be the photos of someone that you know to make you fall quickly.
As much as the internet can make you get into scams, it can also make you not get into scams and how to identify online dating scams.
To not be lured into dating scams, you should not be quick to reply to chats and learn to trust your instincts – if you don’t want to know the numbers that sent you messages, there are apps to help you to identify such persons before you reply to their messages.
Also Read: Online Dating – 5 Pros and Cons You Should Have in Mind
Who do Scammers Target to
Online dating scams do not have specific people that they target to provided that you have what they are looking for – scammers target people of different locations provided you have what they want regardless of age, gender, etc.
However, scammers like mature people who are easily susceptible or isolated. Everyone can be a victim of a dating scam except, of course, you know how to out-smart scammers.
Online dating scams can easily get you because they would look real, pretending to be who you know – using a profile that you will be attracted to.
Nowadays, scammers have deployed several means to take advantage of people – there is a new technology that they use, new tactics, services, and major happenings to tell a story that you can be easily convinced to make you give them your money or personal details.
Here I will list the 10 tips to help you know how to prevent online dating scams, stay read.
10 Tips on How to Prevent Online Dating Scams.
1. Make Your Findings
With the recent happenings both online and offline, you should make your findings clear as possible to protect yourself from scammers.
Be your own detective – when you receive a message from an unknown source, search for the sender’s photos, and employment status using a search engine e.g Truthfinder, Intelius, Infomart, Beenverified, Spokeo, Publicseek, Backgroundchecks.com, Instant Checkmate, any medium you can use to fish the scammer out should be deployed.
There are dating apps that have the alternative to checking profiles so you could see the person who is chatting with you. In trying to make your findings, don’t be too quick to ask questions because everyone is playing smart here.
2. Suspect Everything
On a dating app, everything and anything is a suspect – the person you are suspecting is also suspecting you. The aim of online dating is to know someone – either you are at the receiving end or you are giving as much as the person is also giving.
So when you are being asked for money from the other person – with or without no logical reasons be very cautious so you do not be a scammed victim. Most times, they will come up with a cook-up story – their bank not being able to grant them access to their money, this is the tip to scam you. Be suspicious of anything and everything.
3. Inform friends about the scam
You may not want people to know about your secrets or to let them know if you are on online dating but you could at least have this one friend that you know your conversation is safe with.
Sometimes if not most times, scammers will scare you not to tell anyone so that they do not discourage you – the scammers will make sure that they shut you out from your friends.
Telling a friend can help you to find out things and investigate the scammer – who knows, that friend may have experienced a scam.
4. Keep Your Gadgets out of Reach
Learn to protect your gadgets e.g phones, and laptops – have a two-step verification so that no one would have access to your login details.
Also, protect your wifi using a strong password – try to not use public wifi or a computer or using a phone that is not yours to log in to your details.
Recently, a lot is been happening, hacking accounts here and there has become the order of the day – especially when you use someone’s phone to login and forget to logout.
Most people set their phone in such a way that every login they make will be saved automatically in their phones or laptop – this leads to easy access to your login details.
5. Shop Wisely Online
Online shopping has advantages and disadvantages as well. There are some online offers that scammers use to lure people into dating scams.
Avoid not clicking on the link you see from the dating sites – it could be a means to get into your account.
Don’t fall for his prey to click on the offers of course, offers and giveaways attracts people but be cautious and be your own guard.
6. I love You Comes Quickly
when you meet online dating scammers, the word I love you will easily come out, the reason is women are moved by what they hear – this is why they use this notion to lure females into falling for them.
However, they would say ‘I love you so quickly, emotionally and you would think that their words are mean as it comes – then you will come drooling like you have seen a soul mate.
This is all-emotional blackmail or their trick to get you to fall for them.
You can escape this if you are not vulnerable and easily lured – you should develop self-love and selfcare to not be easily lured.
If you have self-love and self-care, a man’s love will not easily move you because you’ve got it.
7. They shy away from physical hang out.
The usual thing for online dating scammers is that they try to shy away from a hangout with you – so many excuses as to why they hang out will not take place, hence the scammer is not the person that he claims he is, he would avoid hanging out.
Some of these scammers claim to not come from the country that you reside in just to avoid let’s hang out – this scammer will always make you believe that they are in foreign countries working to provide for you, you should suspect the photos they put up on their profile.
Sometimes these scammers claim that there is a container that he wants to clear to send to you to start up a business – they would ask you for money to make up what they have, don’t fall for it it is one of the tips to scam you.
8. Video Calls are out of their League
Here, he would give you 100 excuses why video calls will not work for him. S/he would fake voice of course, there are apps that you can use to make the kind of voice you want such as AndroidRock voice changer, voice changer by Handy Tools Studio, voice changer by OnePixel Studio, etc.
However, if you are on online dating, and he refuses to have online calls with you – this is a sign that he is an online scammer.
I mean if you meet someone online, wouldn’t you want to see who you are chatting, with have a video calls before you meet up? Of course yes, you should see the person before you opt in for a physical hang out.
Online dating can be tiring if you are not ready to put up with the shenanigans that will come with it – if he avoids video calls, it is a red flag.
9. They make Unnecessary Demands.
Nobody makes unnecessary demands for money like a scammer – I mean this is the reason they are scammers right?
It is even inherent in this day both online and offline. Especially when he sees that you are well dressed – and well packaged, he would think that he has seen big fish.
Like the one I saw recently, a man claims to reside in out of the country and promises a lady marriage when he returns while he lodges in the hotel. The man convinces the lady’s father of heaven and earth and he accepted because he heard that he is in America as the scammer claims.
He would call the lady and tell her that he sent her a car and that she would need to clear it with some money – of course, the lady and his father believed him and sent him the money he demanded – in a nutshell, he didn’t travel out and the supposed father-in-law spent all that he has just to clear an unseen container.
The thing is you should be contended with what you have for the main time – that way if a scammer tells you he sent you a container worth of how much he tells you, you will tell him no you do not have the money to clear anything container till he returns, He would run from you.
10. He Sends You a Website that He Claims he owns
If a scammer wants to lure a lady quickly he would come with I own a website where I run ads, you can check it out here with this link – don’t fall for it; it is a sign and you should prevent him from getting you.
Scammers can be very smart especially when it comes to sending a link for you to click – once you click on it, boom you will be directed to a site where they will ask you lots of questions just to convince you that it is a good site while he will clear up your bank details.
This is the reason, you should try not to click on any site that he sends to you.
Of course, scammers have made some people not have internet banking just to protect their accounts because it seems like that is the quick way to hack accounts.
Avoid not to accept the link that is been sent to you via an online dating app for your own safety.
How to Outsmart an Online Dating Scammer
Be trendy on the different types of dating apps, know the one that suits you, and roll with it. Not all dating apps are okay to use especially now that there are lots of sites that pop up on the website – trying to convince you that it is the best of a kind.
There are times I would open a web browser and boom a dating app will pop up – of course, you should know that some are not healthy.
However, if you come across such pop up, you should ignore them to prevent scams to lure you into their prey.
Learn to adhere to warning signs on your mobile devices or laptop and do not click on random sites.
Avoid unnecessary emails asking you to click on a site that you did not subscribe to even if you did caution should be applied.
Furthermore, do not send intimate messages to an unknown person that way they will not take advantage of you.
Also Read: 10 Signs of an Online Dating Scam
Conclusion
While on online dating, disregard any meansfor for online dating scammer to demand money from you except maybe the story is genuine which is a rare case.
If the scammer becomes verbally better, disconnect from being or block him – don’t try to listen because the more you want to listen the more you will want to show pity.
Trust no one on the online dating site, even if the person is being honest; you cannot risk that – if you cannot trust someone you know is it the one you don’t know that you will trust, I mean the real-life situation can be somewhat equal to this.
More so, if you are on an online dating site, don’t give an ear to the ‘I base in abroad situation – this is usually the case just to exploit money from you.
Finally, never disclose your identity, I mean everyone is trying to be safe – a lot is happening and you have to be careful as possible.
